Each year thousands of Oregonians become victims of identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Oregon is ranked 13th in the nation for this crime. Victims of identity theft suffer both financially and emotionally. Those who have had their personal information stolen may encounter multiple unauthorized charges on credit cards and unauthorized withdrawals from their back accounts. The result may be damaged credit records, which can take months or even years to clean up. Identity theft victims also lose their sense of security, similar to a home burglary.

The passage of Senate Bill 583 -- the Oregon Consumer Identity Theft Protection Act -- means consumers will have more tools to protect themselves against identity theft and Oregon businesses, including state government, will have standards to ensure the safety of the personal identifying information they maintain. Personal information includes a consumer's name in combination with a Social Security number, drivers' license number, financial account, or credit or debt card number along with security or access code or password that would allow access to a financial account.

The legislation allows Oregonians to place security freezes on their credit file maintained by credit reporting agencies. It requires any business, organization, or individual that maintains personal information of Oregon consumers to notify their customers if computer files containing that information have been subject to a security breach. Businesses will also be prohibited from printing Social Security numbers on cards or documents, or publicly display or post them. Businesses or organizations, including state government, that collect personal information must develop, implement and maintain reasonable safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of the information.

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is charged with enforcing these new laws.